10 Best Comic Books That DON'T Have Superheroes

6. Seconds

Seconds Bryan Lee O'Malley
Ballantine Books

Bryan Lee O'Malley is most famous for writing and drawing the Scott Pilgrim books, which have since been colourised and adapted in Edgar Wright's cult classic film, Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Still, O'Malley is more than just Scott Pilgrim, and there are two other comics of his that tend to get overlooked - Lost at Sea, and Seconds.

Scott Pilgrim is a wonderful series replete with nerdstalgia and enough coming-of-age romance to cement as a brilliant series, but O'Malley's other work has the benefit of being self-contained. Both Lost at Sea and Seconds are one-and-done graphic novels that delve into some really powerful themes and topics, including depression, anxiety, and - at least in the latter's case - learning how to live with one's own mistakes.

Everyone wishes they had perfection, or at least the ability to change what they no longer can, but it isn't possible. Seconds' protagonist Katie learns this the hard way, as a magical chance to change her past quickly spirals into a never-ending search for perfection. And perfection, as most will know, is rarely ever attainable.

It's an incredible story, and while Scott Pilgrim obviously boasts a greater legacy, there's no underestimating just how good Seconds is.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.